KNOW YOUR ANTIQUES\Tiffany popularized movement to iridescent art glass.

Byline: Ralph and Terry Kovel 

Louis Comfort Tiffany first saw iridescent gold-colored glass in Europe, and he decided to make it at his glassworks. He brought glassmakers from Europe and by 1894 he had developed the golden and blue iridescent glass that remains popular today.

The glass usually was signed "Tiffany," "L.C. Tiffany" or "L.C. T."

Sometimes just the word "favrile" was written on the bottom. That was Tiffany's name for the iridescent glass.

The ware became so popular it was copied by many other American and European factories. Quezal glass by Martin Bach, Durand glass by Victor Durand and Aurene by Frederick Carder were all made in the United States. In Europe the best of the iridescent pieces were made by the Loetz glassworks in Austria. Johann Loetz started making glass in 1840 and stopped 100 years later. Most Loetz pieces were unmarked, but the coloration and the designs are easily identified.

The Loetz art nouveau designs continue to attract collectors. A 14-inch-high vase sells today for more than $1,500.

Q: I have a cast-iron toy I've been told was a souvenir of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. It's a horse-drawn cart with a man driving it. When pushed, the two horses' legs "gallop." The horses and driver are painted a shiny black. The cart is red, and its spoked wheels are bright yellow. What's it worth?

A: The toy you describe is not listed as a souvenir of the 1893 fair.

Your toy seems to match one made by the Arcade Manufacturing Co. of Freeport, Ill. The company might have sold its items at the fair.

The Arcade horse-drawn dray is considered a rarity.

The shiny paint concerns us, though. It appears as though the toy was repainted. Repainting a cast-iron toy reduces its value by at least half.

Q: I bought a wooden box with a burned-in picture of the head of a pretty woman with other decorative shapes on the lid and sides. The box is 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. It's marked "Flemish Art Co." Some of the decoration looks amateurish. What is it?

A: You have an example of pyrography, the art of burning designs in wood. At the turn of the century, it was a popular hobby.

The Flemish Art Co. of New York City was one of several well-known companies that provided the tools, designs and wooden items for people to use at home.

Your box was probably meant to hold supplies on a desk.

Flemish Art Co. desk boxes with well-executed decorations sell for about $150.

Q: I found an old light bulb that is nearly cylindrical in shape. The base looks as though it can screw into a modern lamp. Inside the bulb is a long glass tube and some very thin wires. The bulb's tip has a glass point. Do you have any idea how old it might be?

A: Thomas Alva Edison made the first successful electric light in 1879. Electric lights did not become available to the public until 1881. Various bulbs were made with filaments of cellulose, metalized carbon, tantalum or tungsten.

Your bulb probably was made before 1919, when bulbs without the glass tips were introduced.

Q: Years ago I bought an amethyst-colored bottle at a rummage sale. It's about 9-1/2inches tall. The neck is about 4 inches long, with a flat collar. The name and picture of the singer Jenny Lind is on one side of the bottle. On the other side is the name "Fislerville Glass Works" over a glass factory building. Any information?

A: Yours is one of many Jenny Lind flasks that were made when the opera star known as the "Swedish Nightingale" came to the United States in 1850.

The Fislerville Glass Works in New Jersey was one of several glass companies that made the flasks.

In the 1920s and 1930s, reproductions of the Fislerville versions were made. The originals sell for $30 to $50.

Q: The mark on the bottom of my creamer is a triangle with a flower inside it. The letters R, C and W are on the triangle, and the word "Bavaria" is at the top point. Whose mark is that?

A: Retsch and Co. of Wunsiedel, Bavaria, used that mark starting in 1919. The company was in business in 1884 and is still working today.

Q: I have an old violin that I believe is very valuable. Under the bridge is a label with the words "Antonio Stradivarius Anno 1726." There are other words that I can't quite make out.

A: There might still be a few authentic Antonio Stradivarius violins that haven't already been authenticated. There are, however, a lot of fakes.

In the early part of the century, a village in Germany made its living making violins with fake Stradivarius labels.

Enjoy your violin for its sound. Show it to a violinist in an orchestra for further proof that it is not authentic.

Tip: Use castor cups under chair legs to protect your carpeting or rugs.

Current prices: Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Head vase, blond woman, rose in hair, downcast eyes, pearls, Inarco, 1961, 4-1/2 inches: $30.

Lucky Strike place cards, bridge tally, rider on spotted horse jumping, circa 1930, 5 inches: $32.

Mug, Fairway Freddie, Pfalzgraff: $75.

Levi jeans, woman's, flared leg, 1960s: $195.

Copper warming pan, pierced and floral cover, long turned wooden handle, 19th century: $220.

Quilt, appliqued flower garden, multicolored, yellow ground, cotton, 1950s, 87 by 87 inches: $395.

Imari platter, birds, flowers, shaped panels, red background, Meiji period, 19 inches: $445.

Galle inkwell, cone shape, gray, yellow, red overlaid blossoms, cameo glass, circa 1900, 3 inches: $620.

Doll, Sammy, Kestner No. 211, vest, suspenders, bowler hat, open mouth, fully jointed toddler body: $1,900.

Queen Anne chest, walnut, four drawers, oyster inlay, geometric design, 1700, 28 by 36 by 22 inches: $5,750.

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PHOTO

Photo This Loetz glass vase was made about 1900 in Austria. It is iridescent gold with green-and-orange streaks and sold last year for $1,800.